Extracted from text ... Guest Editorial
An Open Letter to the President of the Republic of South Africa,
His Excellency Mr. T. M. Mbeki
6 April 2005
On Higher Education Policy in Contemporary South Africa
Dear Mr. President:
1. First, kindly allow me to note with appreciation that you have not followed
the trend that has become very prevalent in South Africa, of calling yourself
`doctor' on the strength of an honorary degree. You would otherwise have
demanded to be addressed as `Dr' many times over because of the many
honorary doctorates that you hold, and which you richly deserve. I know you ..

It appears that learning and instruction in technology education are emerging from
an atheoretical perspective. Research indicates that the grounding of learning and
instruction in technology education within a theoretical base is long overdue. This
article explores the role of conceptual frameworks derived from learning theories
relevant to content as an essential feature of technology and technology education.
To illustrate the effectiveness of conceptual frameworks derived from relevant
learning theories, an instructional programme was developed and implemented at
a College of Education. In gauging learners' experience, a qualitative case study
involving 20 learners was undertaken over a six week period. The effectiveness of
the instructional programme was measured against a set of criteria derived from
the conceptual framework representing relevant learning theories.

The University of Pretoria offers a masters degree in computer-integrated
education, incorporating a module called <I>Internet-based learning.&lt;/I&gt; This module
uses constructivist and collaborative techniques via web-based distance learning to
portray aspects of a real classroom in a web-environment. The Hexa-Metamodel
(HCMm) is a synthesis of paradigms of contemporary learning and instructional
theory, comprising six elements relevant to e-learning events and environments,
namely: (i) cognitive learning theory, (ii) constructivism, (iii) components of
instruction, (iv) collaborative learning, (v) customisation, and (vi) creativity. Using
the HCMm as an evaluation approach, this article investigates the module's webclassroom
and collaborative environment to examine conformance to contemporary
learning theories. We present findings of a survey among students, identify
strengths and their causes, and note problems and recommendations.

We hope that this presentation provides educators, researchers, and students with a
sense of cultural foundations of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing that serve
to open up intellectual and intercultural dialogues that go beyond oppositional,
divisive, and polarizing discourses that have characterized the colonial/apartheid
eras within the academy. Throughout this discussion we illustrate that around <I>eziko</I>
and &lt;I&gt;Ganma&lt;/I&gt; exist the spirit of connectedness, humility, and respect that affirm
diverse stories participants bring, and validate new knowledge they co-create.
Therefore, to those wedded to the European/Western culture and science, we hope
that this article will provide deeper insight and appreciation of the ancient
knowledge and wisdom of indigenous peoples. What all of us need in the new era
is a mutually beneficial bridge and dialogue between Indigenous and Western
scientists and educators. This article and our other work of the same genre
constitute the first step.

This article describes and reflects upon two elements of the assessment scheme -
portfolio assessment and peer-marking - which I adopted for a second-year law
course at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2003 in order to promote self-directed
learning. The article also presents students' perceptions of the scheme. An analysis
of the findings indicates that most students designated themselves big gainers from
this assessment scheme and in particular that it facilitated self-directed learning, or
at the very least, some form of self-directed learning. The basic assumption
underlying this article is that assessment strategies (such as portfolio assessment
and peer-marking) in which students assume greater responsibility can play an
important role in promoting self-directed learning.

This article sounds a warning about threats to the continued good health of the
Humanities globally, but especially in South Africa. It begins by examining the
`canonical position' of the knowledge enterprise and the academy, namely, that
innovation can only be driven from within, not from without. This establishes the
idea that a healthy academia requires `necessary distance' from endogenous
interests and agents, principally the state and the market, in order to survive. The
article goes on to discuss contemporary threats to `necessary distance', ranging
from changes in the global model of university governance, to pressures for
external attunement to external needs, the market, or to `relevance', resulting in a
new strategic regime of science. It next proceeds to review South African empirical
work that assesses the degree to which the relevance imperative has had an impact
in South Africa, and concludes that although curriculum change has by and large
been patchy, that patterns in research and publishing show an alarming tendency
to `follow the money'. It is suggested that some disciplines are able to respond to
relevance pressures whilst maintaining their disciplinary integrity more easily that
others. One cluster of disciplines that is manifestly not thriving is the Humanities. An
explanation for this incapacity is sought in the concept of knowledge structure,
which is related to differential capacity for external attunement. The article
concludes that, under the present strategic regime of science, the Humanities seem
damned if they do and damned if they don't.

The Internet offers a new dimension to distance learning: there is no arguing
against the advantages of online learning ± it transcends time and space in offering
convenient (anywhere, anytime, own pace, etc.) access to learning. It seems,
however, that despite the extensive research into cognitive aspects (e.g. content and
instructional design) and the technology that supports online learning, the affective
aspects have been neglected or dealt with very superficially. This article presents an
analysis according to Krathwohl's taxonomy (Bloom, Krathwohl and Masia 1973)
of the affective domain, of email messages sent during an online course. It finds
that most messages relate to the category of valuing.

The major assets of an organization are man, money, machine and time. It is
proven that the poor procurement and management of the human component
often leads to the poor procurement and management of the other assets. The
research being reported in this article proposes factor analysis by principal
components as a tool for evaluating the effects of HR profile on organizational
productivity. A case study of the effects of academic staff profile on the investment
portfolio of the university is carried out. Three factors, namely: teaching, research
and community development were extracted as the major investment foci of a
university and each loaded on a number of the academic staff profile related
decision variables. The results obtained from the factor analysis provides a basis for
deriving a system of equations desirable for evaluating the contributions of each
academic staff to teaching, research and community development. Moreover, the
results obtained place a higher premium on research activities in the university than
on teaching and community development.

This article argues that to rehabilitate humanities research in South Africa by setting
out to coordinate a substantive research agenda for these disciplines, as the NRF is
currently attempting to do, is hardly an adequate response to the predicament in
which the humanities find themselves. Instead, the article argues for a more radical
re-think of the humanities throughout the education system, paying particular
attention to post-graduate training, the character of research work encouraged,
and the orientation of the disciplines in South Africa in relation to the imperial
ambitions of the western academy. Substantial recommendations for the renovation
of many aspects of humanities education are put forward, concluding that a
rigorous process of strategic reassessment and reorientation is essential. Specific
comments on research in the Fine Arts and Education are included.

In this article the nature of mindfulness is explored in conjunction with its mental
neighbour, mindlessness. At first glance, mindfulness conjures images of alert
consciousness and willing responsibility whereas mindlessness reflects a far more
negative perception of attitude and behaviour; a state of mind seemingly
detrimental to effective learning.
<br>In Eastern philosophy, however, emptying the mind, a positive mindlessness if you
will, is a recommended state of consciousness where learners intuitively act from a
state of grace with seeming ease and prowess. This mindful mindlessness is a
worthy educational pursuit which belies the simplicity of polarised opposites.
<br>The mindful-mindless equation impacts our lives as teachers and learners as
potential partners-in-education and thus carries potentially positive and negative
societal and educational consequences.

This study argues in favour of the distance education student as being a decisionmaker
and scrutinises his choice criteria against the `open' education background.
In particular, the study investigated the relative contribution of influential decision
factors, as identified by previous research, in the choice higher education students
made when they chose between print-based and on-line modalities. A quantitative
study, drawing data from 233 participants in two modules at a South African
university was employed. The study shows that influential decision factors are
transferable to a choice between printed or on-line instructional content, but their
effects are less significant. Differences pertaining to previous experience with the
delivery mode were apparent between students who selected the print-based option
and students who selected the on-line option. The results also confirm that of other
research that a significant relationship exists between self-concept and optimal
decision-making and self-concept and social environment.

In view of the complex expectations of higher education and the difficulty of
predicting the needs of constantly changing societies, it is important to determine
the perceptions and expectations of students in higher education. In South Africa,
strategies must be devised to determine whether, in what respects and what
directions student development takes place. One way of determining this is by
assessing students' perceptions of their own development by collecting relevant
pre-entry data and comparing it to follow-up data for cohorts of students.
<br>This article describes work at one university in South Africa where a number of
comprehensive models of student development assessment were explored.
Theoretical considerations are discussed to establish pre-entry, end of first-year
and end of undergraduate studies instrumentation to determine change in students'
perceptions of their own development. Analytical results from comparisons within
one cohort of students and descriptive results of three consecutive student surveys
are provided. The relationship between student confidence on eight generic skills
areas and end of first year academic results of the 2002 cohort of students are
explored and discussed.

This article uses policy analysis to provide a rigorous reflection on the state of quality in private higher education institutions. It is based on a case study analysis of
twenty private higher education institutions across South Africa that were evaluated
for accreditation in 2003 and 2004. The analysis reveals that the majority of these
institutions remain ill-informed regarding the norms and standards that shape the
higher education teaching and learning enterprise and that which is expected of
them before they apply for accreditation through the Higher Education Quality
Committee (HEQC). The article investigates how the deafening policy silence on
clear-cut <I>norms and standards legislative framework for institutional accreditation
of private higher education institutions</I>, has created unevenness in the system and
colluded with the creation of inequalities in private higher education. It also reflects
on the trends of quality assurance inside these institutions within the context of
untold policy expectations and it maps the policy gaps that need to be closed. While
it is acknowledged that the study focuses on institutions that seemingly provide a
negative perspective while there are cutting-edge examples going unrecognised,
this negative perspective as a unit of analysis necessitates the writing of the <I>norms
and standards legislative framework for institutional accreditation of private higher
education institutions</I>. The article concludes by identifying areas that need further
investigation for purposes of policy formulation and the redesign of the quality
assurance enterprise in South African private higher education.

The workplace of today is characterized by global competition, cultural diversity,
technological and management processes that require people to think critically,
solve problems and communicate effectively. This requires a well-founded Further
Education and Training system. The researchers have indicated that the provision of
vocational training under apartheid, that is, prior to 1994, was characterized by
unequal access to learning opportunities based on the vestiges of legal, financial
and other distinctions between formerly advantaged and disadvantaged institutions
(Department of Education 2001, 9). The National Department of Education
decided to merge the above institutions in attempt to remove the aforementioned
vestiges. Education systems do not, however, just change because there is a change
in the government, but the existing structures and vested interests, material
constraints and the interplay of competing ideologies do warrant changes in
education systems (McGregor and McGregor 1992, 17). At the same time,
education transformation goes hand in glove with political transformation as a
result of the shift in the balance of political power (African National Congress 1994,
3). However, education is a fundamental process, which can be expected to reflect
the values, principles and practices of a new democratic dispensation at all levels
and in all sectors (Nkoe 2002, 129). The article purports to investigate the
perceptions of stakeholders on the merging of the Further Education and Training
(FET) colleges in bringing about transformation of the South African FET sector. The
reform of the FET colleges, which resulted in the formation of the new FET
institutional landscape, is seen as a means to address and fulfil the aspirations of
the democratic society as set in the preambles of the new legislation, namely, the
Further Education and Training Act 98 of 1998, the Skills Development Act 97 of
1998, the South African Qualification Authority Act 57 of 1995 and the
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. In order to achieve this, the legislation will
be examined and the perceptions of the FET colleges' stakeholders will be explored
to help achieve this objective.

Language service courses at South African tertiary institutions are nothing new.
However, traditional perspectives on the nature and purposes of these courses have
been challenged. One of these challenges is the view that the language (discourse)
of the subject cannot be taught in external language courses for academic or even
specific purposes, but that subject specialists need to do this teaching. This paper
reports on an investigation into language as a contributory factor to academic
failure amongst first-year Accounting students at the University of Port Elizabeth, to
provide some empirical support for this view. The results of the investigation
indicated that students' problems are in most cases related to conceptualisation.
This indeed implies language, given its fundamental facilitating role in all higherorder
cognition, but it is suggested that the most appropriate form of remedial
support may be neither a course in English for academic purposes, nor even
English for Accounting specifically, but rather some form of team teaching that
involves both language teachers and subject specialists.

The need to increase the number of African students studying at tertiary level,
particularly in science, technology and commerce, has led to the establishment of
foundation programmes at many institutions. In spite of attempts to provide formal
access in this way, the issue of what constitutes `epistemological' access still remains
under-researched in South Africa. This article uses an ethnographic study of
students in a first year class at a historically black South African university in order to
engage with the issue of epistemological access to the university in general and,
more particularly, with what constitutes access in terms of language development.